STAR OF FAME
Stage One
1. T. writes 5 or 6 simple words or numbers on the board that are relevant to their lives.
2. T. explains the activity
3. Ss in pairs or 3s write max. 5 closed questions to ask the T. to try to discover the relevance of
the info on the board.
4. Pairs take turns to ask their Qs. If they repeat another pair’s Q they lose the right to ask any
more Qs.
5. Pairs then chat together to write a brief explanation of the relevance of each point on the board.
(“blue was the colour of your first car”)
6. T feedsback in plenary and confirms or says incorrect to the Ss answers.
Stage Two
1. Ss produce their own Star of Fame.
2. In small groups (5 or 6 Ss.) they look at each other’s stars and individually write 3 closed
questions.
3. Ss then repeat stage 4 in their small groups
4. stage 5 is done orally.
NAME CARDS
1. T demonstrates their own name card. An A4 card is folded in half and one one side is the name,
on the other face is drawn and written words/images important or relevant to the T.
2. T explains (briefly) the relevance of their words and images
3. Ss make their own name cards and then discuss them in small groups
4. Cards are used for the first few weeks of the year to help with names. After a week or so the
cards are turned around so that the image side is visible.
CHANGE SEATS
1. Ss sit in a large circle with the T in the centre.
2. T says a sentence such as…
Change seat if you…
(don’t) like ……
can……
have (never)….
(don’t)have…..
Etc.
3. Ss MUST change seats with another S if the sentence is true for them. The person in the centre
also tries to sit in a vacant chair. Ss can’t return to the chair they have just left, and they can’t
move to the adjacent chair.
4. When the T has demostrated a few times and the Ss understand - 1 chair is removed and the Ss
play while the T monitors and prompts.
SPEED DATING
1. watch speed dating video and do adapted exercise from
http://film-english.com/2015/11/30/speed-dating/
2. Ss (in pairs)choose a stock photo of a man/woman (T checks that they choose more or less M/F
50/50)
3. Ss create a personality for their person: likes, hobbies, where they live etc.
4. Ss speed-date as their characters and then choose their top 3 matches.
TELL THE TRUTH
The teacher models the activity – presenting orally 5 "facts" about themselves, some of which are
completely invented.
eg.
• I have never flown in a plane
• I have won an Olympic medal
• I can speak Russian
• I am an excellent chess player
• I have 6 brothers
The objective is for Ss to guess which facts are untrue by asking Y/N questions.
1. the Ss first decide in pairs how many are false, without any further information from the
teacher. FB as a class
2. The teacher then tells them how many.
3. Ss work in small groups to think of a maximum 3 Y/N questions to ask the teacher
WITHOUT implicitly refering to the "facts"
eg. FACT I once spent a week living with elephants
QUESTION Have you ever been on safari?
4. The Ss ask their Qs, if they repeat a previously asked Q they lose the right to ask any more Qs
5. The teacher then collates on the board the votes for which facts were T/F, and then reveals the
truth.
6. The Ss then write facts about themselves and work in groups of 4(ish) listening to and guessing
on each other's sentences.
7. In plenary they then need to tell a fascinating fact about another member of their 4.
SOMEBODY IN THIS CLASS
T reads 10 sentences to the class that may, or may not be true for 1 or more members of the
class. Ss predict if the sentences are true or false – and if they are true, name one person who
they are true for.
eg.
* somebody in this class can’t swim
* somebody in this class has never been on a plane
* somebody in this class went to the USA last summer
* somebody in this class has seen an elephant in the wild
* somebody in this class doesn’t like chocolate
etc.
• T explains and demonstrates the activity checking any vocab
• T reads the sentences giving the Ss time to consider their classmates and write True (and a
name) or False.
• Ss compare with a partner – but DON’T change their predictions
• In plenary the T goes through the predictions one Q at a time – encouraging any predicted Ss
keep “poker face” until the fb of the whole group is complete
